THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Canadian journalist-filmmaker suffered a fracture on one of her legs during an accident that occurred at the elephant rehabilitation centre at Kottoor, near Kappukadu. The incident occurred during a visit to the facility that was organized for 54-year-old Sangita Iyer, who was brought as a guest of the Forest and Wildlife Department.

According to Y M Shaji Kkumar, Wildlife Warden, Thiruvananthapuram, Iyer approached a seven-year-old elephant while she was being taken around the premises. “As she offered a pineapple to the elephant, the animal waved its trunk in a playful manner. In an attempt to prevent herself from getting hurt, Iyer jumped backwards, but lost her balance and fell down,” he said.

She was soon taken to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital by the forest officials, where she was found to have suffered a fracture on an ankle. Shaji Kumar said that while visitors were not permitted to venture close to the elephants, Iyer was accorded a special privilege. “To our misfortune, the visit had to be concluded in this manner,” he said.

Among her works, Iyer has produced Gods in Shackles , a documentary that explored the hardships faced by captive elephants in Kerala. Besides being screened for legislators at the Legislative Assembly, the documentary had been selected for the recent International Film Festival of India (IFFI) under the non-feature film category.